Did you know you can make homemade Worcestershire sauce at home? Better for you, saving you money and can be used in any recipe calling for Worcestershire.

There are hundreds of condiments I prefer to make from scratch. Things like ketchup, peanut butter and all salad dressings. However Worcestershire is one of those condiments that wouldn’t have ever crossed my mind to make myself. Like ever.

That is until it was brought to my attention.

I was blown away when I got my first “this is NOT from scratch… you used store bought Worcestershire” comment. I thought to myself- ‘um-yeah?! Of course… what else would I use??‘ because let’s face it… I had no clue I could make this liquid gold myself!

Over these many years of blogging I’ve received quite a few of those comments about ketchup, canned tomatoes and Worcestershire sauce not being “true scratch ingredients”. Call me Switzerland because I’m fairly neutral and flexible on the what-is-a-scratch-ingredient-and-what-is-not debate. For example I do consider things like ketchup, tomato paste and yes- Worcestershire, ingredients that make from-scratch cooking a whole lot simpler; hence the name of Simply Scratch. On a pretty regular occasion I make my own ketchup and tomato paste is still on the old bucket list, but Worcestershire sauce is just too easy to not make it yourself.

So I suppose I can see how some would feel like it’s cheating in a sense.

So with all that said, making my own homemade Worcestershire has always been in the back of my mind, I was always putting in on the back burner because who has time for that when there’s cookies or fried-egg-topped-everything to blog about. Right? Finally the opportunity presented itself in the most typical way. Oh you know, the time when you reach into the fridge for something (i.e. Worcestershire) and realize there’s a tablespoon left and you (of course) need 1/4 cup. Yeah that.

Since I’m not one to back down from a challenge (who remembers this post?) I grabbed my almost empty bottle of Worcestershire sauce out from the side door of my fridge, studied the label and went to work scavenging my fridge, pantry and spice drawer. A few attempts later… Worcestershire sauce! Believe it or not, I had all these things on hand and I’m so excited to show you how to make an easy Worcestershire sauce, without the unhealthy additives like high fructose corn syrup, at home for basically nickels. It may not be a true authentic Worcestershire recipe… but it’s easy-peasy.

Squeeze a small clove of garlic through your garlic press and into a bowl with a pour-able spout. Or mince it up pretty fine.

Pour it into a jar or container with a snug fitting lid and refrigerate until ready to use.

Seriously this should last you well over a month, two tops and can be substituted in just about any recipe.

Oh and my family did a little taste test. Two spoons. Two bottles of Worcestershire. All thought both tasted fairly similar but mine had a bit more flavor. I think store bought looks prettier than Homemade Worcestershire Sauce but I don’t think I’ll be buying it ever again.

Enjoy! And if you give this Homemade Worcestershire Sauce recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me ontwitterorinstagram!

My cookbook Simply Scratch : 120 Wholesome Homemade Recipes Made Easy is now available!CLICK HERE for details and THANK YOU in advance!

Ummm unless you made your own apple cider vinegar and fish sauce and dried and ground your own onion and chili powders, this is NOT from scratch!! <- KIDDING!!! 😉

Sorry, I couldn't help myself. Those people drive me bonkers! Not everyone can make ALL THE THINGS ALL THE TIME. For me, with the exception of salad dressings and marinades which I always make myself, its a cost/effort analysis. Sometimes, for me, its not worth the time/money/effort to make something myself, vs purchasing a good quality store brand. But thats a totally personal thing and its different for everybody.

This is in no way knocking your awesome recipe for DIY worcestershire sauce, I applaud you, but its a question for the above readers complaining about the "long list" of "nasty ingredients" of the store bought stuff… what brand are they buying?!?!? My bottle of L&P has these ingredients: vinegar, water, sugar, molasses, anchovies, cloves, onions, garlic, tamarind extract, chili pepper extract, natural flavorings. How is that REALLY that much different than this DIY recipe???

Again, not knocking this recipe AT ALL. I am just honestly curious about what is so nasty about store bought brands…not everything in a bottle is OMGSOBADFORYOU…

Ha ha! My husband said “Whatttt you didn’t squeeze your own fish for the fish sauce? SO not from scratch.”- so your comment had me rolling!

I buy L&P too… but I think off brands use lesser quality ingredients and maybe other recipes for Worcestershire sauce are more complicated? I’m not 100% certain but sometimes it’s a cost issue, or just knowing the quality of ingredients being used. Either way I’m so with you… it should be a personal choice if you want make or buy your own ketchup or Worcestershire to make whatever… it’s just means a different level of homemade!

Thanks for the recipe Laurie. For those who don’t understand why make your own (Jamie). My husb has an allergy to celery. Unfortunately, many food makers don’t want to give out their ‘secret recipe’, and so put ‘natural flavor’. This could be anything, including celery, celery seed, celeriac, so on and so forth – you name it, it could be anything! I’ve looked at all the brands/labels for this sauce, and have never been able to buy off the shelf for this reason. For someone who has an allergy, it is nice to be able to make something ‘safe’ for someone you love.

Thank you for this! I need to make my own due to onion/garlic allergy. I was glad to find one that I don’t need 3 weeks of fermenting time for. I’ll be substituting in asafoetida (hing) for the onion powder.

Leave a Comment

My Story

Over the past few years I’ve been on a mission to find and create recipes that I can make from scratch. I hope you enjoy the recipes on this blog as they are tried and true from my kitchen to yours! (more)